Small earthquakes shook northern Georgia. Here's what the experts say behind them

The Peach State isn't usually a hotbed of seismic activity, but residents in pockets of north Georgia felt some unexpected shaking recently after four small earthquakes rocked the area over the past week.

The latest 2.3-magnitude earthquake occurred just after midnight Monday near the southern end of Lake Lanier, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). This followed two other earthquakes on June 7 in the same area near the city of Buford – a 2.5-magnitude quake and a 2.1-magnitude quake that shook the area a few hours earlier. Another small earthquake occurred on June 3 in northwest Georgia outside Dalton.

Hundreds of residents near Lake Lanier reported feeling vibrations from the earthquakes to the USGS. None of the quakes caused damage or injuries, but the seismic events were enough to raise questions: What causes them and should we expect more soon?

Georgia lies in the middle of the North American Plate, the vast tectonic plate that underlies almost all of North America, parts of the Caribbean, Greenland, and much of the Atlantic Ocean. Earthquakes – especially strong ones – are more likely to occur in places like California, which lies along major plate boundaries.

However, experts say small earthquakes are fairly common in Georgia. The state typically sees 10 to 20 earthquakes larger than 2.0 each year, said Andy Newman, a geophysics professor at Georgia Tech.

As for the causes of the recent tremors, experts say that they are difficult to determine.

Lake Lanier is located near what is known as the Brevard Ridge, a large fault system that was active hundreds of millions of years ago when the Appalachian Mountains were forming, said Martin Chapman, a professor of geophysics at Virginia Tech. But most of these ancient faults are no longer active, and earthquakes near Lake Lanier likely occur on small, unmapped faults in the area, Chapman said in an email response.

The other quake occurred near Dalton at the southern end of Tennessee's eastern seismic zone, which regularly experiences small earthquakes. Thomas Pratt, a research geophysicist at the USGS, said it was possible the northwest Georgia quake was related, but he cautioned that earthquakes in that seismic zone typically occur much deeper underground than the relatively shallow quakes that shook nearby. From Dalton.

Credit: Miguel Martinez

Credit: Miguel Martinez

Newman and Chapman said there is evidence linking man-made reservoirs such as Lake Lanier, Atlanta's main water source, to earthquakes. However, these events usually occur after the tank is full or significant water level fluctuations occur. Data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers showed that levels at Lake Lanier have risen and fallen at times in its history, but the lake's elevation has remained fairly constant so far this year.

Explore Three small earthquakes were reported in north Georgia this week

The three earthquakes at the southern end of the lake represent a “swarm” of seismic activity, but scientists say such clusters are also common.

“In general, if you have one earthquake, the best place to guess where the next one will happen is near the same location,” Newman said.

Explore How common are earthquakes in Georgia?

As for whether Georgia might feel more shaking soon, experts say it's possible — but unlikely — that small quakes could be a precursor to a more damaging event.

“My advice is that people nearby should not be overly concerned, but at the same time, they should be aware and prepared for the (unlikely) possibility of a stronger tremor,” Chapman said.

Exploration from 2018: An early morning earthquake shakes metro Atlanta

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